The first time I heard Bococa, I thought to myself, Now what the hell kind of name is that for a Brooklyn neighborhood?
It's supposed to be a combination of Boerum Hill, Cobble Hill and Carroll Gardens.
But I knew this much: No self-respecting Brooklynite would ever say Bococa to refer to any of those places.
And I've been right. It's not native Brooklynites saying the word; and it's certainly not anybody self-respecting. It's realtors and Brits.
To make it all official, the British newspaper the Daily Telegraph of London recently ran an article praising the community, new name and all, and warning that the Brits, lured by favorable exchange rates, are flocking there for investment and domicile.
Perhaps no single mouthing of syllables has summed up the incredible
gentrification occurring in Brooklyn as the place called (ugg, we can barely write or say it) Bococa, a shining place, a new Chelsea with would-be stars and
money-makers, all crossing the East River (and now it seems the Atlantic
Ocean) to seek new and vibrant life in the low-rise brownstones, not to mention the restaurants of Smith Street.
Of course there's a flip side, a big one.
What is happening in that broad area of Downtown Brooklyn is dependent on other big and controversial developments, namely Atlantic Yards and the riverfront park (see November post on BrooklynRon) now in the works.
Both of those projects are being viewed with great skepticism, to say the least, by those concerned for the welfare of working and poor minorities in the borough, who likely will be displaced in great numbers in the coming years.
On it goes. La lucha continua. And who will be the next Borough President and Mayor to take on these issues with compassion for the less fortunate. Tony Avella as mayor? or Bill Thompson? Charles Barron as Beep? or Bill de Blasio?
We will watch and see how it unfolds in the run-up to those very important elections next year.
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